Title game helps Southland seize national spotlight

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/28/2010 - Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the first time in 14 years, the FCS national championship game will not run through Chattanooga, Tennessee. Understandably, people aren't pleased in Chattanooga. "It's hard to believe that the NCAA would walk away from 13 years of solid game experience to start over, regardless of the site," said Scott Smith, president of the Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee.

The site Smith refers to is Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The stadium, which is home to Major League Soccer's FC Dallas, has a capacity of 23,500. The city, which was recently named the nation's fastest-growing city by the U.S. Census Bureau, is the home of the FCS' Southland Conference. Folks around the league, as you might imagine, are pleased.

"It's certainly an honor for our conference to be one of the hosts for the FCS championship game," says McNeese State head coach Matt Viator. "Since I have been here we have played in one championship game and it was a great experience. I know that everyone connected with our football program feels a bit of pride in our conference's hosting roll this coming season."

The game Viator is referring to is the 2002 FCS championship game between Western Kentucky and McNeese State. McNeese lost 33-14, but the coach still recalls the experience fondly.

In 2010, with the road to the FCS championship running through their backyard, will any team in the Southland prove capable of representing its conference on the division's largest stage?

In both the media and coaches polls released today, Stephen F. Austin has been established as the favorite. SFA, the reigning Southland Conference co- champion, received seven of eight first-place votes in both polls. The Lumberjacks advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year, before suffering a severe 51-0 defeat to eventual FCS runner-up Montana.

Speaking on SFA's status as team to beat in the Southland, head coach J.C. Harper refers to incumbent stars Jeremy Moses and Jabara Williams as reasons for self-assurance. "When you start with two guys like that on both sides of the ball, we welcome it all," says Harper.

Also on Wednesday, Moses and Williams were both announced as 2010 Preseason All-Southland Conference First-Team members. The quarterback and linebacker, respectively, would seem to represent the Southland's best shot at taking home a national award in Frisco this January.

In a conference rife with parity, McNeese State proved to be the only other team worthy of a first-place vote in the polls, receiving one vote in both the media and coaches preseason polls. In 2009, McNeese lost only one conference game; a tough 16-13 decision against Stephen F. Austin. As with SFA, McNeese reached the playoffs, falling in the first round to New Hampshire.

MSU returns 15 of its starters in 2010, including 2009 Southland Conference freshman of the year Malcolm Bronson. Bronson heads a defensive backfield which placed three players on the 2010 Preseason All-Southland Conference First-Team. Along with Bronson, defensive backs Darrell Jenkins and Seth Thomas were also selected. In all, McNeese State had a conference-leading 14 selections.

Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State represent the Southland's best chance to capitalize on a unique opportunity. To host one of their own in the FCS championship game would be dream scenario for the Southland. Both teams will have to significantly improve their playoff performances from a year ago. Both teams will have to survive tough competition within the conference itself. Both teams will have to rely upon returning veteran leadership. Both teams, in reality, will need a little bit of luck.

Stephen F. Austin head coach J. C. Harper is aware. Speaking about championship aspirations, the coach says, "My dad always told me, 'If you're going to win a championship, you've got to be a little lucky.'"

It took a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck to get the FCS championship game moved to Frisco. Maybe adherence to the same formula will result in another victory of sorts for the Southland.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL (Coaches)

1. Stephen F. Austin (7 first-place votes), 49 points;

2. McNeese State (1), 43;

3. (tie) Southeastern Louisiana, 29;

3. (tie) Texas State, 29;

5. Central Arkansas, 27;

6. Northwestern State, 20;

7. Sam Houston State, 18;

8. Nicholls, 9

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL (Media)

1. Stephen F. Austin (7 first-place votes), 49 points;

2. McNeese State (1), 40;

3. Southeastern Louisiana, 35;

4. Texas State, 31;

5. Central Arkansas, 29;

6. Sam Houston State, 16;

7. Nicholls, 13;

8. Northwestern State, 11

2010 PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TEAMS

First-Team Offense

QB- Jeremy Moses, Stephen F. Austin; RB- Champlain Babin, McNeese State; RB- Jackie Hinton, Central Arkansas; FB/HB- Rico Moss, Central Arkansas; WR- Da'Marcus Griggs, Texas State; WR- Willie Landers, Central Arkansas; TE- Simmie Yarborough, Southeastern Louisiana; OL- D. J. Hall, Texas State; OL- Miguel Gauthreaux, McNeese State; OL- Austin Emerson, Central Arkansas; OL- Michael Booker, Northwestern State; OL- Jonothan Landry, McNeese State

First-Team Defense

DL- Desmund Lighten, McNeese State; DL- Markell Carter, Central Arkansas; DL- Kenneth Charles, Stephen F. Austin; DL- Sean Warren, Stephen F. Austin; LB- Jabara Williams, Stephen F. Austin; LB- Mark Newbill, Southeastern Louisiana; DB- Re'Keem Wilson, Southeastern Louisiana; DB- Malcolm Bronson, McNeese State; DB- Darrell Jenkins, McNeese State; DB- Seth Thomas, McNeese State; DB- Tommy Connors, Southeastern Louisiana

First-Team Specialists

PK- Eddie Carmona, Central Arkansas; P- Patrick Dolan, Nicholls; RS- Gralyn Crawford, Stephen F. Austin

Second-Team Offense

QB- Paul Harris, Northwestern State; RB- Zeke Jones, Southeastern Louisiana; RB- Romonte Hampton, Stephen F. Austin; FB/HB- Gralyn Crawford, Stephen F. Austin; WR- Daren Dillard, Texas State; WR- Chris Royal, McNeese State; TE- Corday Clark, McNeese State; OL- Kevin Hughes, Southeastern Louisiana; OL- Taylor Johnson, McNeese State; OL- George Bias, Stephen F. Austin; OL- Zach Case, Northwestern State; OL- Brandon Ward, Nicholls

Second-Team Defense

DL- Terrance Freeman, McNeese State; DL- Devan Walker, Southeastern Louisiana; DL- Adley Eshraghipour, Texas State; DL- Josh Ellison, McNeese State; LB- Geremy Pilate, McNeese State; LB- Devin Ducote, Stephen F. Austin; DB- Bobby Felder, Nicholls; DB- Andre Banks, Stephen F. Austin; DB- Ford Smesny, McNeese State; DB- Henry Minor, Central Arkansas; DB- Marcus Clark, Texas State

Second-Team Specialists

PK/P- Drew Nelson, Stephen F. Austin; RS- Bradley Brown, Northwestern State

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.